A/N: Hi all! I'm sure you were expecting, or wanting, an update for Mess but this is what my brain insisted on me working on. I will hopefully have an update for Mess soon. Since Olivia and Alex had a day out with their boys, it was only right they have a day out with their daughter. Something I hinted at in Boy's Day Out will be addressed here as well. Let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy!
Olivia sat quietly on Laura's couch with her eyes closed. She was so tired she was sure she would fall asleep before the older woman could return. It was a rare occasion she got to leave work early but with the addition of Dodds Jr, or mini-Dodds as Fin called him in private, she took the opportunity today. Of course it didn't hurt that both her Sergeant and Fin urged her to go home early. She had stopped to pick Noah up but since her youngest was still sleeping she was taking the opportunity to visit with her mother in law.
"So," Olivia said as Laura handed her a cup of tea before taking a seat in the chair opposite her. "Alex and I are planning to take Presley out for a day and you're welcome to come along if you'd like."
"Finally taking her out for her day?" the older woman asked as she took a sip of tea.
"Yeah." Olivia sighed as she leaned her head back "With the way things have been at work for both of us I didn't think we'd ever get to take her." It was now early December and they had taken the boys out several months earlier. To her credit their little girl never complained about not having a day with her Moms, although she did ask a time or two when they would get to go.
"So what are the plans for her?"
"Well…" Olivia grinned. "I've got an idea but I need to run it by Alex first.
"Afraid she won't approve?" Laura chuckled.
"Not so much that as she might think it's a little too much."
Laura stood when she heard Noah's voice over the baby monitor. She pat Olivia on the shoulder as she walked by "That little girl has you wrapped so tight around her little finger it's not funny."
Soon after Noah woke from his nap Olivia was thrown into their busy evening routine of picking kids up from school then dinner, homework and baths. She was just finishing up dinner when she heard Alex's voice coming from the other room. "Hey baby!" Olivia said as she made her way to greet the blonde. "I made fettucine alfredo with broccoli and chicken. How does that sound?" when she entered the hallway and saw the stare down going on between Alex and Presley she knew it was going to be a long evening. She walked over and wrapped an arm around her daughter "Hi sweetheart, how was your day?"
"Fine."
"Go on upstairs and change. After dinner we'll talk about-" she was cut off by her daughter before she could finish.
"I don't want to talk about it!" Presley said in a raised voice before storming off up the stairs.
Olivia's eyes were wide, it was rare for Presley to raise her voice except with her brothers. "I take it didn't go well at the eye doctor?" she asked while following Alex up the stairs to their room.
Alex sighed while running her hand through her hair. "Nope. She needs glasses."
"I don't need glasses!" Presley shouted from her room.
Alex closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Olivia guided her into their bedroom "I just can't with her Liv."
Olivia stifled a laugh, wanting to comment on how much alike mother and daughter were but thought better of it. "She's just upset, that's all. I'm sure she'll get used to them."
"It's the attitude though. She'll eventually get used to the glasses like I did." she saw the slightly amused look on her wife's face "And don't even go there saying we're just alike."
"I…"
"I know you're thinking it."
Olivia leaned in and kissed her softly, allowing her lips to linger for a moment. Pulling back and seeing a smile on Alex's face she grinned "Better?"
"Much."
"So when does she go to pick out her glasses?"
Alex stepped out of the walk in closest wearing just a tee shirt and pulling on a pair of sweat pants "I was hoping you could get away a little early tomorrow and meet us to help." she said as she took a seat on the edge of the bed to pull on a pair of socks "At least if you're there it might help her a little bit."
They stepped into the hall, noticing Presley's door was partly open now. "I think I could manage to leave a little early if everything goes okay."
Dinner was its typical, lively affair with all three boys chiming in on how their day went, while Presley was relatively quiet. Olivia tried engaging the blonde but without much luck.
"Sooo…I have an idea what we can do with Presley when we take her out for her day."
Alex stepped into the doorway of their bathroom, toothbrush still in her mouth, and looked at the brunette. Seeing the sheepish grin on Olivia's face she couldn't imagine what she'd come up with. "What?"
"Okay, so, you know how much she loves the 'Eloise' books?"
Alex nodded, starting to feel like she knew where her wife was headed.
"Well, I was thinking we could take her to The Plaza." Seeing Alex about to speak Olivia continued. "I've already looked into it and it's not overly priced. The Palm Court has a special Eloise breakfast and Eloise tea time." she waited patiently for Alex to speak but the blonde simply looked at her. "Well?"
"And just when do you propose we take our six year old daughter to The Plaza Hotel to eat?"
"I was thinking this Saturday. I talked to Lucy and asked if she would be free to keep an eye on the boys and she can." Even though Laura had been the kids' babysitter since Joey was born they had decided to get a backup sitter just in case.
Alex finished brushing her teeth and walked over to stand in front of the brunette. "So let me get this straight. We're gonna take our daughter to The Plaza hotel, one of the nicest hotels in the city, for breakfast or tea?"
"And maybe a carriage ride." Olivia said, her head down slightly.
Alex shook her head "A carriage ride around Central Park and a meal at The Plaza?"
Again Olivia nodded but managed to make eye contact with her wife.
Alex rolled her eyes as she climbed into bed "She's got you so wrapped."
The next evening all three Cabot-Benson ladies walked into the house after a long afternoon of picking out Presley's glasses.
"So how'd it go?" Laura asked enthusiastically as her granddaughter threw her backpack onto the couch.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"I bet you look so pretty with them on." Laura smiled and took a seat next to the little girl "Let Grandma see."
Presley reluctantly took her glasses from their case and put them on. Alex gave a look to both Joey and Landon, warning them not to say anything negative.
"Oh my, those are very nice!" Laura said while lightly kissing the top of Presley's head.
"I still don't want to wear them." she pouted.
"I know but you'll get used to them. Plus the doctor said it'll help you see better to read, and you love to read."
"Well, the doctor doesn't know what he's talking about." She said as she took her glasses off and laid them on the coffee table before heading up the stairs.
Laura chuckled lightly before standing and facing her daughter "I feel like I just flashed back in time about thirty five years." receiving a withering look from Alex. She grinned as she pat both women on the arm "Have fun this evening."
Sensing the little girl could use some good news, after dinner they decided to tell Presley about their plans for that Saturday. Olivia took a seat next to the girl who was watching a movie with Noah while Joey and Landon played a video game in another room. "So how does spending the day Saturday with Mommy, Grandma and myself sound?"
Presley's looked up surprised "We're going out without the boys?"
"Yep." Alex said taking a seat in the floor in front of the couch. "Just us girls."
"Where are we going?"
Olivia held her breath in anticipation of the reaction. "We're gonna go to The Plaza Hotel for tea time." she waited for it to sink in and both she and Alex began to laugh when Presley realized what they meant.
"You mean like Eloise?"
"Just like Eloise."
Presley squealed, causing Noah to jump, as she launched herself onto Olivia's lap and threw her arms around the brunette's neck "Thank you Momma!" she then unceremoniously fell to the floor and onto Alex's lap "Thank you Mommy!"
"You're welcome baby."
Both ladies laughed at Noah who was now also excited although he had no idea why his sister was so excited.
The next couple days passed quickly. Each day filled with questions from Presley about their day together. Of course the days weren't without drama. It was mostly centered on Presley wearing her glasses, or lack thereof. On Friday night Presley insisted on watching the Eloise at Christmastime movie she'd gotten for Christmas the year before. Between her trip the next day and the fact Christmas was just a few weeks away, both ladies felt it was an appropriate movie to watch.
The next morning Presley was awake and in her mothers' room earlier than they would've liked. It was one reason they'd opted for afternoon tea over breakfast, no one liked to get up earlier than necessary on their day off. At least Olivia was able to convince her to settle down in the bed and lay with them for a little while longer.
By noon all three Cabot-Benson ladies were dressed up and ready for their afternoon tea. Olivia in a knee-length, black and white pattern dress with sleeves down to her elbow, while Alex opted for a dark blue three-quarter sleeve dress. Laura had arrived wearing black slacks with a white cashmere sweater. They had both held their breath when Presley asked to pick her own outfit out. To her credit their little girl had chosen the dress they had bought for their Christmas pictures. It was a long sleeve dress, the top was black, the skirt white with black circles of varying size, a red ribbon tied around the waist to complete the dress. Olivia had pulled her hair into a ponytail and added a black headband.
"Oh my goodness Alex!" Laura said when she laid eyes on her granddaughter coming down the stairs "She couldn't look more like you if she tried."
"That's because I came out of her tummy." Presley said with a smile.
"Yeah," Alex said as she pulled the girl to her and pat her bottom "But you act like your Momma."
"So I'm a badass?" her eyes inquisitively looking up at her blonde mother.
Alex's eyes went wide while Olivia nearly choked. Laura simply laughed while her brothers looked surprised at what she'd just said.
"Where did you hear that?!" Olivia asked.
"That's what Fin says. He said you're a bad…" he voice trailed off as she realized she probably shouldn't say it again.
Alex leaned down. "Sweetheart, words like that are not okay." Seeing Presley was about to speak up, and most likely to point out she'd heard similar words at some point from both of them, she cut her off. "At least not for little girls. Momma and I don't want you using words like that. Okay?"
"Okay."
They said a quick round of goodbyes to the boys then headed out. As they walked down the steps of their house Alex leaned in to whisper into Olivia's ear "She'll always be my little girl so it's kinda hard to think of her as a badass, but I hope she turns out just like you."
Olivia smiled as she squeezed Alex's hand "Between your genes and what she's picked up from me, she'll be a force of nature." She shook her head and closed her eyes "We're in for it when she hits her teens."
Knowing they'd be outside for the carriage ride, which Presley was still unaware of, they took a cab to where the carriage ride would begin.
Presley looked up as they got out of the cab. "This isn't The Plaza." She'd seen the Eloise movies enough to know what it looked like from the outside.
"No, but we're almost there." Olivia said as she guided her daughter toward the horse drawn carriage. It took a minute but the little girl finally put it together. Olivia began smiling brightly as she saw the little girl's face light up.
"Are we taking a carriage ride?!" she squealed, looking back and forth between her mothers.
"We certainly are." Olivia said as she helped Presley into the carriage then the rest of them climbed in.
It was a short ride through a corner of the park, just a few blocks, but all four women enjoyed their time. The sun was shining which helped make up for the cool afternoon temperature. Alex and Olivia sat snuggled up to one another, Alex's arm around Olivia's shoulder, while Presley sat next to her Grandma on the other side of the carriage. They were grateful to see their little girl so animated and talkative after the week she'd had.
After entering The Plaza and heading to The Palm Court, all four ladies took their seats and began looking over the menu at their options.
"Geez Liv!" Alex whispered "This is gonna cost a small fortune."
"I know, but how often are we gonna have the chance to do something like this with her?"
The waiter stopped at their table to give his name and told them he would return in a bit for their orders.
"The cucumber sandwiches sound good." Alex said.
"How about those and a few scones and cookies?" Laura asked as she looked at her granddaughter. "What do you think sweetie?"
Presley pulled the menu closer to her, hoping her Moms wouldn't make a comment about her glasses.
Alex watched her carefully for a moment. Even though the twins were only six they were reading at a higher level than their age, although she was sure there were some words on the menu Presley wouldn't know. The telltale squint, one she remembered all too well from that age, was present though. Hoping not to cause a fit in the middle of one of the classiest places in the city, Alex reached into her purse and retrieved Presley's glasses case. "Here baby, here's your glasses."
Presley blew out a breath, the same way Alex did when she was annoyed, before taking them and slipping them on. She stared at the menu for a moment before chancing a glance around to see if anyone was staring at her. When her eyes returned to their table what she saw was the last thing she was expecting. Olivia reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of black frame glasses, slightly larger than Alex's, and slipped them on before going back to looking at the menu.
Alex, Presley and Laura all three looked to one another, back to Olivia, then back to one another again. The surprise was evident on all their faces.
"Momma?" Presley almost whispered.
Olivia struggled not to laugh at the look of surprise on everyone's face as she looked up "Yes baby?"
"Um…you're wearing glasses."
"I am."
"But why?"
"Well," Olivia said as she lowered the menu a bit. "Sometimes I have a little trouble seeing, especially when it comes to reading. So I got a pair of glasses." she leaned in a little closer and placed a hand on her daughter's chin "Plus, it means I can see that pretty face even better."
Presley grinned and blushed slightly, just like Alex did when complimented at that age. She looked back to her menu just as their waiter returned.
Alex ordered what the adults were having but Presley had yet to decide what she wanted. Knowing her daughter was a picky eater she'd already chosen a few items she knew she would eat. "Is there anything on there you want?"
Presley sat up straighter and adjusted her glasses just like she'd watched Olivia do while she perused the menu "I want the peanut butter and jelly sandwich with hot chocolate please."
"Always an excellent choice." The waiter said with a smile before walking away.
Once the orders were placed Laura excused herself to the restroom, Presley exclaiming she needed to go as well. Alone at the table Alex turned to her wife with a slightly amused look "Okay Liv, what gives?"
"What?"
"Since when do you wear glasses?"
"Since right now." Olivia said with a coy smile.
Alex reached out and took them off the brunette "What are they, costume glasses with no actual lenses?" she took her own glasses off and put Olivia's on.
"Nope, they're real."
"They're not very strong." Alex said handing them back and replacing her own.
"Well that's because they're reading glasses I picked up at the drug store. The strength only goes so high, they don't carry 'blind as a bat' strength." The comment earning her a knuckle punch to the thigh. "Ow!" she laughed "That hurt!"
"Serves you right." Alex looked over then lightly kissed Olivia's cheek "Sorry."
"It's okay."
"Seriously though, why are you wearing glasses?"
Olivia shrugged "I know I've always done paperwork, but now that I'm in charge I'm doing a lot more. Plus I stare at a screen all day, whether it's the computer or my phone. And have you seen some of the handwriting I have to read? I mean Fin's I can read, since I've been reading it forever. Amanda's is good, but Carisi…Landon has better handwriting. It's so tiny and scribbly. I catch myself squinting half the time." She grinned slightly "And…it's not like we're getting any younger."
"Speak for yourself Detective." Olivia may now be a Lieutenant but she would always be her Detective.
Olivia grinned "Anyway, I saw them when I was picking up Noah's inhaler at the pharmacy the other day and decided to give them a try."
Alex narrowed her eyes "You picked up his inhaler the day after Presley got her glasses." seeing Olivia look away she knew. "You got them so she would feel better about wearing hers, didn't you?"
"No. Besides, you wear glasses too."
"Oh please Olivia, she couldn't care less if I wear them. You on the other hand, that's a different story. Liv that little girl worships the ground you walk on."
Olivia couldn't help but smile. With the childhood she had it gave her a sense of pride, a feeling she was doing something right, to know that her children looked up to her. "It's a win-win situation then. I can see a little better, and if it helps her feel more comfortable then so be it."
Presley and Laura returned to the table shortly before their food arrived. All four women enjoyed themselves as they indulged themselves with tea sandwiches, scones and sweets, along with tea and hot chocolate. After finally having their fill they stopped in the Eloise shop inside the hotel before leaving. Olivia had told Presley they weren't buying anything, but since Grandma was along for the ride she conveniently left with a stuffed animal. Naturally she didn't want to exclude her grandsons, so Laura insisted popping into a nearby toy store for a gift for each boy waiting at home.
Later at home all three boys listened as their sister told them about her day. Granted tea time at a classy hotel wasn't exactly their idea of a good time, but she listened to them about their day out so they showed her the same courtesy. Even though she didn't need them except occasionally to read, Olivia kept her glasses on top of her head for most of the evening. At one point even drawing a strange look from their sons.
"So is it a girl thing?" Joey asked as he helped Olivia clean up after dinner.
"What?"
"You wearing glasses now. Mom's always wore them, then Presley and now you, so I'm guessing it's a girl thing."
"Well bud, your Momma is getting old." She chuckled.
"You're not old." He put his arm around her. "Now Munch, he's old." This elicited a laugh from both mother and son.
Finishing up in the kitchen Joey headed off to play a video game while Olivia went to check on the other three. It was a little too quiet for her liking. She found Landon quietly playing in front of the television with his many superhero action figures, while Noah sat quietly on the couch. She was about to ask where their sister was when the little blonde crashed into her.
"Where are my glasses? I can't find them!"
Olivia was struck at the difference a few days had made. Earlier in the week she'd all but refused to wear them, even going as far as to say she couldn't find them. Now her little girl was desperate to find her glasses. She began looking around, trying to remember when she last saw her daughter with them on. "I don't know baby, let's ask Mommy."
"Ask Mommy what?" Alex asked as she descended the stairs with a load of laundry.
"My glasses, I can't find them! Noah wants me to read him a story and I can't if I don't have them!"
Alex had to bite back the chuckle that was trying to escape. She would have to remember the power of persuasion that Olivia held over their little girl for future reference. "They're right here." Alex said as she nodded to the top of the pile of clothes in the laundry basket. "You left them on the bathroom sink."
"Thank you!" she said excitedly as she ran over and jumped onto the couch next to her little brother.
"Wike Mommy!" Noah exclaimed as he gently touched his sister's glasses. They weren't exactly like Alex's but they were pretty close.
"Yeah, I have glasses just like Mommy. And now Momma has a pair too!"
Later after finally getting the kids to settle down and into bed, the ladies shared some quiet time and a glass of wine before heading up to bed. Alex stepped out of the bathroom and leaned against the door frame as she stared at the brunette. Olivia was standing next to the bed in an oversized tee shirt texting Sgt. Dodds about a case. She pushed off the frame and walked over, slipping her arms around Olivia's waist and holding her close. "I hope you're all done with work for the night."
"I am." Olivia said as she sat her phone on the bedside table. "Mike just had a question, but he handled it just as I would've. He's really beginning to settle in and become part of the team." She said as she turned in Alex's arms for a kiss.
When the need for air became too great they pulled back but Alex kept her arms firmly around the brunette. She smiled as she stared at the woman in front of her, the woman she'd loved for over half her life. "I know I've told you before how stunningly beautiful you are, but can I just say how incredibly hot you are with those glasses."
Olivia chuckled "Now you know how I've felt all these years. You and your glasses of justice."
They climbed into bed and Olivia was taking her glasses off to lay to the side when she felt Alex's hand on hers.
"Leave them on."
"Huh?"
Alex held the covers up a bit as she slid onto Olivia's body and began pushing the brunette's shirt up her torso. "I said, leave them on. The clothes are coming off, but the glasses stay."
Olivia rose up enough for Alex to pull her shirt over her head then made quick work of her wife's as well. She wrapped her arms around Alex and pulled her down on top of her. "Do they turn you on?"
"Oh yeah." Alex said placing a kiss to Olivia's neck.
"Then I'll wear them for the rest of my life."
